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ManifestLife in Cape Town

Sandra, writes about moving from Zagreb, Croatia to Cape Town.

Pages 2,4

Sam Saleh

Explores what she will take to the grave.

Page 5

Aspirational Lifestyle

An excerpt from “Fitness Ecosystems”

Page 6How’s the gPhone?

Caroline Barry on google’s gphone

Page 6About Manifest

Subscriptions and other information.

Page 7

Once upon a time

“ 1 December ”1420Henry V of England enters Paris.1918 The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is proclaimed.1988Benazir Bhutto is appointed Prime Minister of Pakistan.

1 December 2008 / Issue 9 The only publication where no sentences are left without a verb and none begins with “and”.

Cannibal, n. A gastronome of the old school who preserves the simple tastes and adheres to the natural diet of the pre-pork period. Ambrose Bierce

Editorial

Thoughts for food.For middle and upper classes worldwide, food has ceased to be a problem of survival. This issue migrated from worrying about whether there would be food to be consumed at all, to enjoying choosing what kinds of food will be served for diner. For an increasing minority, this trend culminated into finding ever-more sophisticated ways to limit one’s intake of food.

Sense and sensibilities

Notwithstanding this economic crisis, the current worldwide food-chain is showing its limits. Earlier this year, food prices have increased to levels that began to concern even relatively affluent people. In developing countries, the impact was much more severe.

Price however, is only one, albeit important, variable. The figures that follow the currency (say $1.99) hide equally important factors such as quality (remember “mad cow disease”) and impact on the environment. Most of all, the price most of us are familiar with is misleading. Various subsidies and inadequacies in the food chain, if taken into account, would likely increase our grocery bill several times over.

Regime changes

Whether by choice or by force, we are probably at the dawn of a major re-organisation of the food industry. In a recent article on the New York Times, Michael Pollan, author among other books of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, suggested to the next president 13 initiatives which would contribute to a more rational, equitable, sustainable and healthy food production.

The article, aptly titled “Farmer in Chief”, begins by making an association which few of us make when thinking of food: “after cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent.”

Therefore, Pollan and many others suggest, is

to “regionalise production” so that food is produced and

consumed in close proximity. Aside from curbing transportation costs, this would also benefit consumers by giving them fresher foods, requiring less processing and storage.

To do this, governments also need to promote farmer markets and bring younger people back to the land. One way among several to do it, is to “create incentives for hospitals and universities receiving federal funds to buy fresh local produce.”

Universities, should then receive grants to cultivate land and offer their students the chance to work on the land rather than heading to the cities.

Even pesticides, so far seen as a necessary evil, can be done away with. Farmers in Argentina have been using an eight-year rotation system which, to simplify, involves “grazing cattle on pasture (and producing the world’s best beef)” and after five years, “farmers can then grow three years of grain without applying any fossil-fuel fertilizer. Or, for that matter, many pesticides.”

There are many other common-sense initiatives Mr Pollan makes in his article (find the link on Manifest’s website). Inescapably, we the consumers have to change our behaviour if we want to fully benefit from them.

Wahyd Vannoni

“Suburbian food vortex” by Lyien, Canada.

S E Q U O I A C L U B

On the web: manifestmagazine.wordpress.com 2

expressionsAdventures in Cape Town: South Africa Through Expat EyesBy Sandra Plourde who moved two years ago from Zagreb, Croatia to Cape Town, South Africa.Cape Town is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world; it ranges right up there with the likes of Sydney, Vancouver and San Francisco. In my career I had the opportunity to visit all these places and more, yet Cape Town and its surroundings are in a league of their own.

Well into my second year in the mother city I still feel a lifting of heart and spirit when driving into Cape Town from my suburban home in Hout Bay. Coming over Kloof Nek the city is spread out in front of me, the cluster of skyscrapers glistening in the distance near the shore and above it the pristine exclusive homes of the so-called city bowl peek out from between lush green gardens and tall palm trees.

On a sunny day the blue sky against clean cut Table Mountain is of such a crisp, bold blue that it takes your breath away.

Driving the opposite direction over Kloof Nek is equally impressive and inspiring and always feels like the first time. As the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean stretches in front of you against the backdrop of the craggy, dramatic Twelve Apostles mountain range you wonder why everybody doesn’t live in Cape Town.

Just when you think it cannot get better than this you reach the coastal road that leads you down the peninsula to Hout Bay, only 20 minutes from Cape Town.

Without exaggeration, this has to be one of the most spectacular, breathtaking drives in the world, the perfect spot for filming car commercials and a convertible-driving tourist’s dream.

In my new home of Hout Bay I can watch whales at foreplay from my bedroom window. I have sunbathed and swam with penguins and watched dolphins from my local beach.

Enough already I hear you say. I am not finished yet. Then there is are the wine lands on the city’s doorstep where picturesque hills, historic towns and charming vineyards are surpassed only by the quality and scope of South African wines. These wines are the perfect compliment to a meal of the freshest seafood, flavorful Karoo lamb, ostrich and other safari fare. Cape Town is also one of the gourmet capitals of the world with a plethora of world-class restaurants and award-winning chefs.

Welcome to paradise. With a twist.

To stay with the superlatives, South Africa probably also has one of the worst reputations in the world. When we first considered moving there, I read my way through South African crime statistics websites which were

not for the faint hearted. Friends and family, both in awe and concerned, were amazed at my complete confidence in my husband’s observations and judgment during a fact-finding trip to Cape Town which formed the basis for our decision to move to that ‘end of the world’. A classic case of buying the cat in the bag. When saying our good-byes my family looked like they had just stepped off a white knuckle ride.

A year later, I find myself smiling at my initial fears and reactions, like undertaking my first solo car-ride to visit a friend outside the city, a journey which involved two motorways, a country-road and unknown suburbia.

Will someone drop a brick on my car from a motorway bridge? Is that dodgy bakkie held

together by a shoe-string trying to run me off the road? Will I get lost and end up as white fodder in some infamous township?

The latter was a remote possibility when I did not know which direction to head on the second motorway and promptly found myself traveling towards one of the most notorious townships, according to street signs. The fact that 20km or more separated me from this feared destination did little to stop my palms from sweating.

My friend greeted me at the door with a casual ‘you made it then’ to which I would have liked to have a sleek, calm reply, had it not been for my all-too-revealing flushed cheeks.

As a fellow European immigrant friend commented, the first three months are the hardest. You firmly believe that, according to

statistics, newspapers and doom-and-gloomers, everybody wants your wallet, your mobile phone, your car, your house, your kids, your life. After a while you realize that this is still true, but it does not bother you any more. Just kidding. In fact, you adopt relevant precautions and behavioral changes to keep you out of harm’s way.

Of course, harm also goes by the names of bad luck and sods’ law, both known for their utterly surprising and often unfair appearance that can corner the most cautious of us. Or so

my worried mother says.

Life in South Africa is surprisingly easy and familiar. The unique Cape Dutch architecture, legacy of European settlement amidst much hardship and fighting, adds cultural weight and a European flair to an otherwise new-world setting reminiscent of the USA and Australia This includes strip and shopping malls, wide streets, big cars, ample free parking, large houses with pools, wooden jungle gyms and trampolines, fruit and vegetables that are pre-cut, washed and bagged for your convenience and the next latte never more than a street corner away. Life can be good.

Continued next page

Simon's Town is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town.

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expressionsThen there is the other side.

South Africa’s social and crime challenges become apparent as soon as you leave the airport. Seeing your first township (or informal settlements, as they are often referred to) which accompany you for miles on your way into the city is a sight you will never forget. You find it hard to believe that people live like that. That they can call these shacks constructed of abandoned metal sheets, cardboard and wooden planks their home. You find yourself shaking your head in disbelief, unable to grasp the scope of the dilemma – millions of black citizens doomed to a vicious circle of poverty, bad education and ever-rising costs of living. Where to, you ask yourself, and how can I help to make it better?

There is no quick fix to this situation although the post-apartheid black government has addressed some of the more basic human needs such as access to water, electricity and on average one toilet per 200 shacks.

As the economic gap widens, the more prosperous white population has been going to extreme measures to protect itself from the surge in crime since the fall of apartheid.

The more affluent neighbourhoods are nothing short of Jurassic Park;

electric fencing perched on top of high walls, barbed wire, electric gates, burglar bars, door and window gates, infra-red beams and in-house alarms – every house has some or all of these measures in place. Unlike life in walled, gated security estates, the residents who choose to live a normal life on a normal street enjoy the camaraderie of vigilant neighbours and the easy access to their house. The latter, however, is also enjoyed by the numerous illegal street vendors, beggars and thieves.

As a newcomer I have fallen prey to many of these, have bought packs of bin-liners when my garage is already overflowing with them, have bought rotten fish and crates of 30 avocados that quickly went to waste and have given money to drug addicts and swindlers in the vain hope to have made someone’s life a bit better.

To avoid the thieving kind you soon become savvy at arming different sections of your garden and house and have come to regard your Armed Response company as the fourth emergency service. Armed Response companies are linked to your house alarm and will automatically respond with a phone call and visit by an armed officer when your alarm goes off. As newcomers we have contributed massively to the 70% of false alarms that clog up the company’s system that slows down response time, but

it is strangely reassuring to be wandering around your garden at 4am in the presence of an armed guard after a nightly alarm.

Neighbourhood Watch Cape Town style is not the curtain-peeping, look out for your next door neighbour type of operation, but a centrally-controlled, 24 hour-patrolled, all-neighbours enrolled, walkie-talkie waving organization.

This is just to keep you safe in your house.

Shopping areas and malls either have CCTV or private security guards.

All shopping center car parks and most busy city streets have parking attendants in place to look after your car for a small discretionary fee of 2-5.00 Rands (approx. 20-50 Euro cents). Desirable luxury cars, like my husband’s Jeep Cherokee, are required by insurance companies to be equipped with a tracker system to combat car theft and car-jackings by fixing a device that be tracked by satellite.

When driving, it is advisable to always keep doors and windows locked. When out and about at night you are advised to drive up and down your street to check for anyone hiding in front yards before pulling into your drive, to approach robots (traffic lights) slowly and continue on red if traffic allows. You always check for activity and people around you before turning your back temporarily to strap in your children - a vulnerable moment.

Sounds extreme? Probably, but strangely enough it soon becomes second nature and a way of life. An unfortunate by-product of this mind-frame is the suspicion and caution you begin to apply to all black males – ‘A black man is always a suspect’ says a popular bumper sticker on black-owned taxis in my neighbourhood and I hate to agree.

Most crimes are petty or opportunistic theft, but some are drug and hate fueled and thus the kind you are most afraid of happening to you.

Sadly, most crimes, especially crimes of physical abuse

towards women and children, are perpetrated in the townships, a cruel, utterly dispiriting irony.

Enough of crime. It is such a constant topic of conversation that the inevitable fatigue of the subject is taking over. After all, we are here to enjoy life and bring up happy children. Negative thoughts attract negative experiences. Some of my South African friends have stopped reading newspapers to escape the negative headlines and scare-mongering that are rarely productive. Initially reluctant, I have now joined their ranks to keep my sanity and joie de vivre. Too many South Africans have left their country (abandoned it some would say) to escape an unacceptable situation at home, only to make space for the many European immigrants who have chosen Cape Town as their new home, usually after falling in love with the place on their first visit, amongst these about 300,000 Germans. Who is right, who is wrong?

My experience of Cape Town has been shaped by the mostly English-speaking Atlantic Seaboard suburbs. To my shame I have to admit to thinking ‘Why bother’ when the same glossy magazines had an English and Afrikaans version or street signs would feature both languages. I kept wondering about all those Dutch tourists that seemed to infiltrate all areas of my everyday life…I know, don’t say it.

If you have been in awe with the diversity of language and culture in countries like Belgium and Switzerland, think again. South Africa has no less than 11 official languages, 6 of which you can choose from when you visit an ATM. These languages accompany distinctly different white cultures and African tribes.

Continued next page

On the right: Canal Walk a huge shopping mall at Century City, Cape Town. Century City a "City" within a City, is a 250 Hectare development, consisting of a huge shopping mall of over 400 speciality shops.

S E Q U O I A C L U B

On the web: manifestmagazine.wordpress.com 4

experiencesexperiencesTo make a sweeping generalization, English speakers live south of the city, Afrikaans speakers to the north. This is not another apartheid in the making, simply a polarisation by the two distinct white cultures to be around like-minded folks that share their mother tongue.

However, a number of Afrikaans words have spilled over to the English language camp, which have you listening very carefully and quizzically when you first arrive;

Lekker? Braai? Bakkie?

You soon learn that South Africans don’t barbeque, they braii – they are the self-appointed masters of marinades and wood chip aromas that leave my Nurnberger sausages orphaned in the back of my fridge.

As I said, they take their food seriously here, but it should not only be lekker, equally important are the location and setting. Reading real estate ads, the ‘flow from indoor living space to outdoor entertainment area with pool’ seems to be a major decision-maker.

South Africans love the outdoors and practically live for the summer. Unfortunately for me, Christmas takes place in the height of summer and school holidays which makes it so insignificant you could almost miss it completely. People are busy basting meat and tanning bodies as well as pursuing the many sports activities that keep them away from their homes for most of summer, unless it is braai time.

Winters could be a pleasant, mild affair here if you could confine the cold to the outside of your house. But with no insulation of windows, doors or roofs the stiff North-Western winds and pounding rains quickly invade your living space. As a hardened Northern European I smiled patronizingly at the shelves full of electric blankets and movable heaters of various energy sources that filled shops at the end of summer. Who were they kidding? Really, how bad could it get, after all, my husband was told winter is usually an average 8-18 celcius. I think he also assumed this to be the average OUTDOOR temperature, until he started sleeping in multiple layers of fleece, socks and refused to get up at night for baby duty.

Boy, I have not been this cold in a long time. Winter seems endless, the rains merciless, the wind fierce and then you have a string of sunny, balmy days that make your forget it all and love Cape Town again until the next cold front.

Even in these temperatures you still encounter one of the most astonishing aspects of this country – barefoot children. A local friend of ours claims to have been given his first pair of shoes when he was 12 years old. I believe him. It is socially acceptable for children to go

barefoot in all temperatures and all places. The same applies to adults in summer time. It is quite a sight and one that would have many European index fingers waving, but nobody seems the worse for it.

What I cannot get used to is the recklessness with which parents let their children ride in cars unbuckled, even worse, sitting in the back of open or closed bakkies (pick-up trucks). The world’s first ever heart transplant was performed here and yet people of adequate education and intelligence choose to handle their children with such neglect.

Every culture has its own gestures and meaningful sounds. South Africans like to push air through their half-closed front teeth emitting a hissing sound that is used to show your sympathy, surprise or disbelief at what you are being told, often without any further words to follow it. The most unique South African expressions that can have you very confused, if not infuriated, when you first settle down is ‘just now’. He will be there just now, said the ADSL company – then why am I still waiting six hours later? Little did I know that to get things done and not put the kettle on pre-maturely I needed to hear “now now”. No typing mistake. Now now. But when he is coming now now he is probably already breathing onto my front door.

A big factor in my comfortable, pleasant life here is my domestic worker Yandiswa who I ‘inherited’ when we rented the house. Most white households have a domestic worker, a black lady who acts as housekeeper or babysitter or both, for the small fee of 12.00 Euros a day.

Depending on your point of view, you could either simply call this exploitation or try to understand the very delicate balance of this micro-economy of supply and demand that sustains large black families whilst enabling dual-income white families to gain a continued financial advantage.

Change any component in this equation and the house of cards could easily come down with questionable social consequences.

The overwhelming inequality between black and white is a daily dampener to my all too cozy, comfortable life here. Recently I watched black smoke rising persistently from the hills of our local township, knowing that a lack of proper streets will delay efforts by firefighters and result in numerable burnt shacks whose owners now have even less than before, whilst

driving down my own neat

street alive and wet with buzzing sprinklers.

Overweight middle-aged men in tight lycra shorts on expensive bikes race past clusters of disheveled-looking black men waiting all day long on street corners for any kind of casual work that might be offered to them by passing tradesmen.

There is not a day that goes by when this stark contrast does not appeal to my feelings of guilt and shame.

Reassuringly, many white South Africans share this sentiment and are active supporters of local initiatives and charities, but the majority of their generosity is directed at their own staff whom they support financially and in kind whenever needed.

Now you might be wondering if we have had any bad experiences ourselves yet. Well, we almost had a bike stolen, but that was self-inflicted, as the bike was left in our driveway unlocked in the evening. My husband actually managed to chase the thief down and cut him off Rambo-style with his Jeep, shouting some movie-jargon like ‘you better run’. Sometimes you’ve gotta love Americans!

Still, I am staying vigilant and implore my Guardian Angel to do the same.

So, on a scale of 1-10, I would rate life in Cape Town as 8 out 10. I came here expecting the best and the worst and have not been disappointed. However, life is lived better with a positive frame of mind and we have chosen to make the most of what this incredible destination has to offer while we are here. Our time in South Africa will be an unforgettable and thought provoking one that makes my life richer.

Since my mother has come for a holiday she cannot get Cape Town out of her head. In her mind she still sees the blue of the ocean surrounded by breathtaking mountains and she misses it. After only two weeks, the Mother City has worked her spell again, Africa’s magic never disappoints.

Aerial View of Devils Peak and City Bowl, Cape Town, taken from helicopter.

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expressionsWhat will you take with you to your grave?By Sam Saleh

Whether or not we admit it, we are all going to die. When a person's giving time has come, they can not escape death. Many people "think" they escaped death at some point in their lives; however, what they don't realize is that it just simply wasn't their time yet. Death does not differentiate between rich or poor, famous or infamous, child or adult, male or female. Death does not know specific characters, it knows everyone. However, we have to realize and understand that death is surprisingly normal and part of the human cycle.

When you die, what will you take with you to your grave? You don't really expect to take the new Mercedes Benz you just bought, do you? What about the million dollars you just won? How about that 10 room house? Maybe you think you can take your doctoral degree with you? You wont be taking any of that.

However, you are taking something that is worth all of the above and then some: your Deeds! You're taking all your deeds, that includes the bad ones too. Your deeds are the only things that will last and they will be going with you to your grave.

Don't despair though. Your education, which took you years to finish will not go to waste. Your work, your whole life will also not go to waste. On the contrary, you have to perfect everything you are doing right now, while you still can so that your good deeds can outweigh your bad ones. The way you live your life, where you work, what you do with your degree, and much more will conclude what will become of your deeds. For instance, if you get a doctoral degree and use it to help people, you will be increasing your good deeds. Conversely, if you use that same degree to manipulate people and cheat them, you are increasing your bad deeds. This goes for everything else in your life, if you acquire a large sum of money, how will you use it? Remember, there are consequences for every single action and move you take. This is not just about material goods, on the contrary, we can also look at more practical things such as the ability to write or speak. How do you use your writing and ability to speak? Do you waste your time bashing people and saying

things you later regret, or do you use your abilities to help people and spread knowledge?

So, we come back to this crucial question, what will you take with you to your grave?

When I ask myself that I question, I don't look at the answer I have provided above. Yes, my deeds are important… very important, but how will I attain those deeds? What do I do every single day to achieve and deserve my deeds? I am talking beyond the major things in life such as getting an education and a job. I am talking about the things we take for granted in life, such as helping an elderly with their groceries, getting the door for someone, babysitting for a friend, tutoring, giving up your seat to someone who needs it and many other unnoticeable things.

I am a Muslim and I pray five times a day, I fast in the Holy month of Ramadan, I give charity; however, I also go beyond these things. I do not just limit myself to what my religion outlines as the pillars of Islam. I do my best and I never stop trying. If I find that there is no one I can help when I go outside, the best thing I can provide is my smile. When I can provide help, I do so without hesitation or second thoughts. I remember a couple of months ago I was walking with my mother when I saw this lady who had just about giving up walking. She looked exhausted and had an entire cart of groceries in front of her. My mother and I helped her, and then it was time for each one of us to go a different direction to reach our

homes. However, I asked that my mother go ahead home and I will walk the lady the rest of the way. The lady did not want me to go all the way, even though her house is not that far. Both my mother and I insisted that I go. Eventually, she gave in and let me drive her cart the rest of the way. When I got to her home, she was showering me with hugs and kisses because she did not know how else to repay me for helping her.

I have had numerous incidents like this that are too many to write on paper. At times, all it takes is holding the door for someone who has their hands full. The point is, what we do, the small things, do matter. They make a difference more than we ever imagined. These actions of ours might seem little, but the deeds that are accumulating because of them are much larger than we can imagine.

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Sam Saleh is an aspiring 21 year old writer who is in her junior year in college.

She is working on her bachelors in English and psychology and plans on continuing until she achieves a masters in English and a PhD in psychology.

Sam currently resides in NYC, USA with her parents.

“Waiting list” taken on the way to JFK Airport by Sandra Rouse, Colorado Springs, USA.

S E Q U O I A C L U B

On the web: manifestmagazine.wordpress.com 6

expressionsAspirational LifestylesBy Scott Smith, principal at Changeist.

More consumers are showing their wealth through purchases of products and services, including technology, that shows care for themselves, or someone else caring about them. Extending well beyond traditional areas such as fashion and luxury accessories, this is manifested through everything from growth in use of personal trainers and spas to purchases of more sophisticated home care products to purchase and conspicuous display of personal technology—including high increase in “playing alone”

The trend of growing social isolation in America pointed out in Robert Putnam’s 2000 book, Bowling Alone, has expanded to include not only grassroots socializing, but even in the more team-oriented area of sports. From high schools to adulthood, active lifestyles are becoming more of an individual activity. Consumers are seeking out solo sports such as running, golf, cycling, yoga and individualized workouts, particularly as populations age and wellness is driven more by medical necessity and less increase in digitaL socialization Social separation has also been encouraged by the rise in digital means of socialization, via conduits such as Web-based social networks.

Over half of all US teens have a social network profile, and popular activities include contests, rating and ranking of friends, lifestreaming (publishing frequent updates of personal activity). Increasingly, digital socializing is being integrated with location-based technologies and/or focused around specific social activities or communities of interest.

Interest in Wealth and Wellness

Worldwide, consumer interest in health and wellness is rising as affluence spreads, populations age and access to higher quality care increases.

• Total health care spending in the US alone reached $2.6 trillion 2007, or $9,600 per person.

• Personal wellness was worth an estimated $208 billion in the US in 2007.2

• Globally, the market for physical fitness equipment is projected to reach almost $12 billion by 2010, representing just one enabler of personal fitness.

The full report can be found at:

www.changeist.com/emergence-reports

Google phoneWhile the iPhone is now available in several countries, the google phone is only available in the US for now. “Manifest” asked digital marketing strategist Caroline Barry for her opinion on this latest communications device.

Caroline please tell us, what made you chose the gphone? what was the appeal?

I have wanted an iphone since they came out, however I am in a contract with t-mobile. It turns out the gphone is much better suited for me as I use all of the google apps that the gphone uses - google calendar, gmail, google docs.

What are your likes and dislikes so far?

I absolutely love all of the add-ons available. My only dislikes would be some of the actual "phone" features. For example switching between calls is difficult and there is no notification if you are on the phone and receive a text that I can tell.

Another dislike is that it is highly sensitive,

I have "accidentally" called people too many times. I would also like to see the calendar feature enhanced.

However, the call quality is excellent, and I have never had a call dropped.

The aesthetics of the phone are very pleasing as well.

Do you think it is good value for money?

It’s a very good value if you are able to get it for $179 as I did - I was eligible for the upgrade. However, I have definitely heard some complaints of people having to pay close to $500.

Have you been able to compare your gphone with a friend's iphone?

I really have not used an iphone, but I think the biggest difference would be the keyboard - the gphone has a full keyboard, complete with numbers so it is very easy to operate. Though I do wish it had the option of not having to pull out the keyboard all the time.

The phone is not symmetrical when the keyboard is extended, so at first it seemed awkward to use - you can see this in a photo of the phone. I thought it would be an issue, but I really don't notice it anymore and have become very proficient at typing on the keyboard.

I think as far as apps go, the gphone offers a similar selection, possibly some more advanced apps than the iphone. The GPS is a key selling point, one I was not really aware of, but many of

the apps are tied into the GPS. It has Google Maps with street-level viewing, which is amazing!

I am not sure if the iphone offers this.

I have not been terribly impressed with the music feature though, so I do think this is something that Iphone would be better for. There is only one headphone jack, which is also the same as your charger jack. Also it comes with only a 1 gigabyte card so it does not store much music and I have not had the patience to download much from my itunes.

This is because it doesn't interact with itunes as an iphone would, so you have to import directly from your library as far as I can tell, just creating a lot of extra steps - I just haven't spent much time on it yet.

The contacts feature is interesting.

The contacts on the gphone are your gmail contacts.

It was a bit of a nightmare at first as taking care of the many multiple entries for each contact.

I spent a good deal of time updating all of my contacts online.

I had to create a few groups, and then choose which I wanted to have as my phone list. Overall, it is good because now I have the info saved, but a merging feature of some sort would have been nice!

There is no 3G network available where I live (New Orleans), however I have not seemed to notice, the phone is very fast in all applications and I will run multiple programs without it freezing up. The email notifications actually show up before I get them on my computer! The touchscreen is very fun to look at and play with! The android market has amazing, free apps that are fun and useful - I love the barcode scanner, jogtracker, and the flashlight! Overall I am very impressed and please with this phone. I find it interesting that I have not met anyone else who has one, yet a lot of people recognize it and ask me about it.

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Caroline Barry is a self-employed digital marketing strategist specializing in search engine optimization and social networking. She is finally finding time to set-up her own website: www.beawebpreneur.com, which will be available soon.

You can keep in touch with Caroline through her twitterfeeds at

www.twitter.com/tweetcaroline

Scott Smith: his opinions have been reported by Bloomberg, Le Monde, CNN, and CNBC

S E Q U O I A C L U B

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